Oddities, musings and news from the health world

Some explanation, if you look for it, on the Children's Tylenol recall

September 24, 2009 | 9:57
am

The recall information isn't especially easy to find, but consumers who check the Tylenol website under Children's Tylenol News will find a list of children's and infants' Tylenol liquid products that are being pulled from store shelves.

The notice begins: "You may have heard that McNeil Consumer Healthcare (the makers of Tylenol) is voluntarily recalling certain lots of Children's and Infants' Tylenol liquid products that were manufactured between April, 2008 and June, 2008 in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."

One of the inactive ingredients apparently didn't meet internal testing requirements. The "news" then essentially skips to the list of products.

But in wee print at the bottom of the Tylenol site's main page, consumers will find a link that says "For Healthcare Professionals."

Follow that and you'll make it to a letter that sheds some light on what you "may have heard":

The company has implemented this recall because examination of bulk raw material detected that one of the inactive ingredients did not meet internal testing requirements.Specifically, the gram-negative bacteria Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) was detected. The portion of raw material in which the bacteria was found was isolated and was not used in the production of any finished product. However, it was decided, as a precaution, to recall all product that utilized any of the raw material manufactured at the same time as the raw material that tested positive for the bacteria. Please note: No bacteria has been detected in finished product and the finished product has met all specifications.